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Thursday, January 1, 2015

The OverlookTheatre's Picks the Top 10 Horror Movies of 2014

2014 has gone by in a flash and sadly this blog has gone through a phase of neglect. Updates still happened but they were just few and far between. This of course had nothing to do with a lack of screenings or Overlook participation, in fact we are watching films more frequently than ever.

With that said, 2014 has been a great year for indie horror! I think our list will differ from many others this year, simply because this time around I have 2 top 10 lists from non horror enthusiasts. By "non horror enthusiast" I mean they not only don't seek horror out, they have never seen 10 horror films in a single year...

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1.

"Babadook"

This film has come to be called "The Last Taboo," of course referring to one of the films main themes; the dark side of motherhood. You can find a more in depth discussion of it here. This film was unanimously loved by each audience member and the impression was a lasting one. Incidentally, preorders for the infamous book featured in the film are still being accepted at thebabadook.com for only 19 more days!! The count currently stands at 4070 and each of these is going to be signed by the director.

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2.

"Housebound"

HouseBound proves that elevated genre is a moronic term, as this Horror-Comedy delivers a smart script that will have even the most seasoned horror fans guessing at what's next. This film literally jumped to my number 1 position last night, after screening it for the first time. Amazon currently has exclusive rights to the bluray format, so jump on Amazon and order a copy, you won't be sorry!

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3.

"Dead Snow: Red vs Dead"

The first Dead Snow was an homage to films like Evil Dead and Dead Alive (as if the name didn't make it obvious) and was an amazing throw back. Dead Snow 2 is very much its own monster, completely surpassing the original in every aspect. Action, gore, and a lot of laughs make this equal something every horror fan should own.

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4.

"A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night"

If an Arthouse film about vampires is something that sounds interesting to you, then you need to see this film. The horror aspect of AGWHAN is most present in the tone of the film, so don't expect a ton of bloody vampire action.

I saw this film with 6 others and 2 fell asleep but the 5 that stayed awake loved it.

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5.

"The Sacrament"

Ti West brings the Jim Jones incident to life as he gives this old horror story a modern life. I plan on finishing our review of this film soon, as some of our reviewers have a very interesting perspective. This film is Found Footage as far as the genre is concerned but truly uses the medium to deliver an authentic narrative.

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6.

"Wolf Creek 2"

This has been the year of sequels and Wolf Creek 2 is definitely the best slasher sequel (Sorry See No Evil 2). Wolf Creek 2 is a slasher lover's wetdream as it really develops the Mick Taylor character and adds depth to this Australian nightmare without inoculating its threat.

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7.

"WolfCop"

Canada Grind house will become a sub-genre in horror if these awesome indies keep coming out of the cold North (Fans of Hobo With A Shotgun need to run out and see this). Wolfcop is exactly what you think it is, just executed better and way funnier.

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8.

"Starry Eyes"

As films about L.A. are starting to make a comeback, Starry Eyes manages to capture the struggle of a single actress as she submits herself to the mercy of uncertain interviews and casting agents. Her journey is a little stranger than the usual actress.

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9.

"Honeymoon"

A couple honeymooning in the woods, think you know where this one is going? Honestly, you most likely will guess a quarter way into the film but by then you'll be hooked and just have to see it play out.

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10.

"Under the Skin"

Beautifully shot and backed by a hypnotic soundtrack, Under the Skin has been hated to revered and both for good reason. Jonathan Glazer has delivered something that is undeniably daring and unique. Everyone has to agree on this whether or not they enjoyed the film. I say this because these qualities breed polarizing results simply based on the fact that the film wasn't geared towards demographics but an artistic vision.

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This years list was formed by giving citizens who had seen atleast 10 horror movies realeased this year an idividual list. I took those lists and assigned positions points. #1 was worth 10 points, #2 was 9 and so on.

Another new thing I tried was allowing people to pick 1 film they really didn't like this year. I didn't think about where I would go with this information so I just included it at the bottom of the list.

Lord Battle

1. HouseBound

2. Oculus

3. Babadook

4. Dead Snow 2

5. Under the Skin

6. The Sacrament

7. Wolf Creek 2

8. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

9. Wolf Cop

10. Tusk

(hated: Happy Camp)

The Impostor

1. Starry Eyes

2. Babadook

3. The Sacrament

4. The Town That Dreaded Sundown

5. Oculus

6. The Taking of Debra Logan

7. Wolf Creek 2

8. HouseBound

9. Jessabelle

10. Annabelle

(hated: Leprechaun Origins)

Huntress

1. Babadook

2. Dead Snow 2

3. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

4. Oculus

5. Wolf Creek 2

6. HouseBound

7. Starry Eyes

8. The Sacrament

9. Wolf Cop

10. Happy Camp

(hated: Tusk)

Ice Giant

1. The Sacrament

2. Babadook

3. Oculus

4. HouseBound

5. Dead Snow 2

6. Wolf Creek 2

7. Starry Eyes

8. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

9. Honeymoon

10. Tusk

(hated: Leprechaun Origins)

Math Mage

1. Wolf Cop

2. Dead Snow 2

3. HouseBound

4. Babadook

5. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

6. Wolf Creek 2

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7. V/H/S: Viral*

8. Wer*

9. Deliver Us from Evil*

10. Annabelle*

(hated: Leprechaun Origins)

Book Wyrm

1. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

2. HouseBound

3. Honeymoon

4. Babadook

5. Afflicted

6. Wolf Cop

7. Extraterrestrial

8. Wer

9. V/H/S: Viral

10. Cabin Fever 3

KillDozer

1. Blue Ruin

2. Babadook

3. Dead Snow 2

4. Contracted

5. Oculus

6. Berberian Sound Studio

7. Kiss of the Damned

8. The Seasoning House

9. Wolf Cop

10. The Sacrament

(hated: Godzilla)

*Since Math Mage only saw 12 horror movies this year half his list was comprised of films he didn't actually like.